Engineering & Science Integration in Mathematics – An Initiative to Retain and Complete more STEM Majors

本项目旨在通过改进本科数学教学服务于国家利益。传统上，数学课程强调客观和抽象的主题，不能反映许多学生的文化和生活经历。入门数学课程继续充当守门员课程，阻止学生成功进入需要大学代数或更高水平的STEM途径。为了支持学生对STEM学科的兴趣、保留和完成，该项目将开发主题实验室和练习，以加强三门入门数学课程的教学和学生学习：大学代数、三角函数和微积分。鉴于STEM相关职业机会的增长，以及与许多STEM职业途径相关的高职业工资，吸引和留住STEM本科学生对于满足未来的劳动力需求至关重要。该项目的目标是增加进入并完成高就业机会STEM途径的学生人数，重点是吸引来自代表性不足人群的学生。该项目将对STEM和非STEM专业产生积极影响。项目团队将研究基于多学科问题的课程和活动如何影响社区大学生的态度、学习，以及最终的学位课程选择和保留，这些学生将在三年的项目期间受到新课程改进的影响。通过从众多STEM领域汲取现实世界的例子，学生们将更好地识别学科之间的共享概念，并看到数学在日常生活中的重要性。主题实验室将以《通用学习设计指南》为框架，帮助所有学习者，包括代表性不足的学习者，参与有意义的学习活动。大学工程课程中常见的知识和技能构建者的整合将帮助学生以可堆叠的“预实验室”的形式解决数学概念。新课程将与Jupyter Notebook和GoPiGo Robots兼容，以便学生可以使用Python编程语言体验数学的力量。这些努力将培养具有STEM素养的多样化公民，以应对STEM领域当前和未来的挑战。国家科学基金会关于在两年制高等教育机构推进本科STEM教育的创新和影响的项目描述支持在两年制大学推进STEM教育计划的项目。该项目描述促进了两年制大学本科STEM教育的创新和循证实践。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving undergraduate mathematics instruction. Traditionally, math courses have emphasized objective and abstract topics that do not reflect the cultures and lived experiences of many students. Gateway math courses continue to serve as gatekeeper courses, preventing students from successfully entering STEM pathways that require College Algebra and beyond. To support student interest, retention, and completion in STEM disciplines, this project will develop themed labs and exercises to enhance instruction and student learning in three gateway mathematics courses: College Algebra, Trigonometry, and Calculus I. Given the growth of STEM-related career opportunities, and the high occupational wages associated with many STEM career pathways, engaging and retaining undergraduate students in STEM is essential to meet future workforce needs.The goal of this project is to increase the number of students entering and completing high workforce opportunity STEM pathways, with an emphasis on engaging students from underrepresented populations. This project will have a positive impact on both STEM and non-STEM majors. The project team will research how multidisciplinary problem-based curriculum and activities affect attitudes, learning, and eventual degree program selection and retention among the community college students who will be impacted by the new curriculum enhancements over the three-year project period. By pulling in real-world examples from numerous STEM fields, students will better identify shared concepts among disciplines and see the importance of math in everyday life. The themed labs will be framed by the Universal Design for Learning guidelines, which helps engage all learners, including typically underrepresented learners, in meaningful learning activities. The integration of Knowledge and Skill Builders, common in university engineering programs, will help students tackle mathematical concepts in the form of stackable “pre-labs.” The new curriculum will be developed to be compatible with Jupyter Notebook and GoPiGo Robots so that students can experience the power of math using the Python programming language. These efforts will develop a diverse population of STEM-literate citizens to address current and future challenges in STEM fields. The NSF program description on Advancing Innovation and Impact in Undergraduate STEM Education at Two-year Institutions of Higher Education supports projects that advance STEM Education initiatives at two-year colleges. The program description promotes innovative and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.